Iconic Criterion Hotel lives on in Warwick
AHS recently prepared a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the 108-year-old Criterion Hotel in Warwick, Queensland. This plan will allow the well-known watering hole, which has been quenching the thirsts of locals since 1917, to live on in all its glory. The pub’s history is a rich one, dating back to the mid-1800s…
The Criterion Hotel, in its original form, was actually born in c. 1860 as a single-story brick building. In 1862 it was described as the ‘largest hotel in the north, and the favourite rendezvous of the gentry in this district’. It would indeed go on to become a favourite within the region, hosting townspeople for gatherings, balls, accommodation and committee meetings.
The pub would change hands various times up to 1885, before landing in the hands of well-known local, Jeremiah Allman, who would later serve as the town’s Mayor in 1895 and 1902. Jeremiah owned the pub until passing away in 1910, and ownership transferred to his wife Catherine Allman and later to his son Jeremiah in 1932.
The Criterion, reborn
The single-storey Criterion Hotel pictured above is not the two-storey icon Queenslanders have come to know. Its rebirth took place in 1917, when the two-storey brick building locals now know, was constructed by the Allman family.
In 1916, architects Dornbusch and Connolly undertook design of the new building, which would contain a large cellar, a hotel, adjoining shops, a large dining room, bars, coffee rooms, electric fans, lights. A modern affair which, when completed in October 1917, came to the grand total of £15,500.
Adjoining shops included a tailor, footwear retailer and an all-in-one barber, lottery and tobacco shop. It represented strong business activity within the region, forming part of a growing cityscape on Palmerin Street.
The Criterion Hotel has been altered, updated and renovated a handful of times across the past century, but remains largely intact. After falling into disrepair by the 1980’s, the pub was in dire need of a fix-up. The Cooper family purchased it in the 1990s, before undertaking a major restoration that saw 20 of the 33 rooms returned to their former glory.
History too often repeats itself and by the late ‘90s the pub had again fallen into disrepair, prompting its closure and subsequent sale at auction. This time, an extensive renovation was undertaken, with various sections of the building updated to resemble a contemporary pub layout.
The pub was sold again in 2023, now belonging to Waymark Hotels, a property group that specialises in hospitality venues around regional Australia.
The original Criterion Hotel in Warwick c.1886 (State Library of Queensland)
An icon lives on
We established, in producing the CMP for Criterion Hotel, that the building retains a high level of integrity with its layout, design and internal features remaining intact.
It was also determined that the site’s heritage significance lies within both its physical attributes and contextual narrative, as an intact example of a regional hotel from this period.
Our CMP also contains a range of conservation policies, which underpin the management of the heritage values of the Criterion Hotel and ensure it is retained into the future.
The iconic pub demonstrates the evolution of the town of Warwick, from its humble beginnings in the mid-1800s to the interwar boom and beyond. Its enterprising redesign in 1917 represents Warwick’s bustling business activity during the early twentieth century.
Its walls undoubtedly hold many secrets, tales and perhaps the truth behind three famous bullet holes in the ceiling of the bar. While many stories have circulated, how the bullet holes were actually made remains a mystery. The incident is thought, however, to have taken place during WW2, at a time when there were several soldier’s camps within the region.
The rebuilt Criterion Hotel in Warwick c. 1925, standing as we know it today (State Library of Queensland)
Contact us
AHS offers a range of heritage services, specialising in traditional and emerging sectors, from war history to large-scale renewable infrastructure. We provide a sense of heritage identity in a fast-changing world – preserving history and paving the way for a better future.
To discover how we may be able to assist on your next project, contact us today here or phone (07) 3221 0000. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
You might also like to read:
The Challenge
The single-storey Criterion Hotel pictured above is not the two-storey icon Queenslanders have come to know. Its rebirth took place in 1917, when the two-storey brick building locals now know, was constructed by the Allman family.
In 1916, architects Dornbusch and Connolly undertook design of the new building, which would contain a large cellar, a hotel, adjoining shops, a large dining room, bars, coffee rooms, electric fans, lights. A modern affair which, when completed in October 1917, came to the grand total of £15,500.
Adjoining shops included a tailor, footwear retailer and an all-in-one barber, lottery and tobacco shop. It represented strong business activity within the region, forming part of a growing cityscape on Palmerin Street.
The Criterion Hotel has been altered, updated and renovated a handful of times across the past century, but remains largely intact. After falling into disrepair by the 1980’s, the pub was in dire need of a fix-up. The Cooper family purchased it in the 1990s, before undertaking a major restoration that saw 20 of the 33 rooms returned to their former glory.
History too often repeats itself and by the late ‘90s the pub had again fallen into disrepair, prompting its closure and subsequent sale at auction. This time, an extensive renovation was undertaken, with various sections of the building updated to resemble a contemporary pub layout.
The pub was sold again in 2023, now belonging to Waymark Hotels, a property group that specialises in hospitality venues around regional Australia.
How we helped
We established, in producing the CMP for Criterion Hotel, that the building retains a high level of integrity with its layout, design and internal features remaining intact.
It was also determined that the site’s heritage significance lies within both its physical attributes and contextual narrative, as an intact example of a regional hotel from this period.
Our CMP also contains a range of conservation policies, which underpin the management of the heritage values of the Criterion Hotel and ensure it is retained into the future.
The iconic pub demonstrates the evolution of the town of Warwick, from its humble beginnings in the mid-1800s to the interwar boom and beyond. Its enterprising redesign in 1917 represents Warwick’s bustling business activity during the early twentieth century.
Its walls undoubtedly hold many secrets, tales and perhaps the truth behind three famous bullet holes in the ceiling of the bar. While many stories have circulated, how the bullet holes were actually made remains a mystery. The incident is thought, however, to have taken place during WW2, at a time when there were several soldier’s camps within the region.
Results
AHS offers a range of heritage services, specialising in traditional and emerging sectors, from war history to large-scale renewable infrastructure. We provide a sense of heritage identity in a fast-changing world – preserving history and paving the way for a better future.
To discover how we may be able to assist on your next project, contact us today here or phone (07) 3221 0000. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
You might also like to read:
